I wish that you all could have joined us at Tulalip for the August Convening. I know that is a ‘big’ wish because of family and work priorities, but being in space with others committed to positive change across the region is nourishment for the soul. We are so grateful to those of you who were able to join, and we missed all of you who couldn’t be there (although we would need a room that holds 400 if you all showed up at the same time!). We still felt your presence and your impact.

As many of you shared last week, we are living in times of intense fear, stress, and shrinking resources. The more that fear surrounds us, the more humans want to separate and isolate – at a time when we need each other even more. The Convenings give us a chance to be with others who want to connect, collaborate, and bridge instead of breaking.

In addition to highlighting the work of some partners, we began discussions about a potential community ‘space.’ We’re very loosely referring to it as a community campus, but we still have a lot to explore before describing it in shorthand. Participants lifted up values and ideas that could guide a design process, including how this space could serve us collectively across the region and network – and there will be further opportunities for you to lean in and guide the process.  

Before he left, Darrell Hillaire (Children of the Setting Sun) said “this feels like movement building.” We were in a room where folks had divergent opinions and ideologies, yet showing how we are stronger together than we are apart. Thanks to Spring Cheng, we were able to not only move, but allow our emotions to burst forth with strength, not weakness. Our voices were shifting the energy in the room from helplessness to power.

I had a few takeaways – plus the dozens of ideas that y’all shared with me 😊 – and thought I would share a couple of them here:

• Shout out to Faith Brown, with the Center for Independence, who challenged us to keep expanding our concepts of inclusion and accessibility. We were grateful, not only for the reminder, but the offer to help. That is what building a network can look like.
• I got to share a table with a young staff person (Noah) from O.U.R. Journey. When we were doing the breakouts Noah shared ideas about how we can optimize outside space (space for picnics, basketball courts, gardens) that would draw young people, and suggest we have a garage that could be used for young people with car trouble to come and learn how to work on their own vehicles from others interested in teaching them.
• Spending time with folks who were at their first convening, wondering what they had walked into, and talking with others who were at our very first convening back in 2018. Both perspectives brought insights about how we can offer space for partnership while the world around us continues to change. I will sometimes say to our team that the Network is not like a Costco membership. With every partner who joins the landscape changes. And it isn’t about us (the ACH) as much as it is about you, and what you all can do together that you cannot do alone.

We will be pulling together a planning group to continue the discussions about what a collective space could look like and encompass. For those of you in the room, Milenko asked participants in the room to think big. For those who weren’t able to join, we’ll be sending you some questions in the coming months so that you can add your thinking into the mix. More to come!

Thank you for all you do. Thank you for offering help to the community, to us and to each other. Thank you for showing up, even when there are dozens of other things demanding your time and attention – critical and important things. And in the face of adversity coming from so many directions, thank you for taking the time to turn to each other and remember that we are not alone on this journey.